Obama: Sebelius will 'go down in history'

President Barack Obama used a Friday ceremony announcing his new nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services as a chance to celebrate the Affordable Care Act, even though it came with an action widely seen as a long time coming — the departure of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Obama, Sebelius and intended nominee Sylvia Mathews Burwell drew several standing ovations in the Rose Garden as they praised the work that led at least 7.5 million Americans to enroll in health insurance through exchanges, and millions more to gain coverage through Medicaid and other programs .

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But, like the law itself, the event was briefly derailed by a “glitch” that set tongues wagging as emblematic of the administration’s struggles with HealthCare.gov, as Sebelius acknowledged that a page of her prepared remarks had gone missing.

Still, tulips blooming around the periphery of the garden, it was an upbeat scene, as Obama talked up the enrollment numbers and thanked Sebelius for her role in making the new law work.

Sebelius will “go down in history” for leading HHS “when the United States of America finally declared that quality, affordable health care is not a privileged but a right for every single citizen,” Obama said.

“She’s got bumps, I’ve got bumps, bruises,” from working to pass the ACA in 2009 and 2010. “But we did it because we knew of all the people we met across the country who had lost a home, had put off care, had decided to stay with a job instead of start a business because they were uncertain about their health care situation.”

After early struggles with HealthCare.gov, Sebelius and her staff “turned the corner, got the job done. And the final score speaks for itself.”

Speaking after the president, Sebelius described her work expanding access to health insurance as “the cause of my life.”

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy. There is a reason that no earlier president had been successful at passing health reform,” she added, but the Obama administration was able to make significant progress with the ACA. Sebelius read from prepared remarks and, in a moment that Twitter’s armchair critics quickly seized on as symbolic of her five years at HHS, she quickly flipped through the pages, only to say, “unfortunately, a page is missing.” .

To succeed Sebelius, Obama said, “I could choose no manager more experienced, more competent than” Burwell, the current director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“I hope that the Senate confirms Sylvia without delay,” he said, noting that Burwell was unanimously confirmed for OMB, and that “not that much has changed” in the year since then.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled Thursday that the process may not be quite as easy as the administration hopes, and will include debate over the ACA and Medicare. “Ms. Burwell will be nominated to lead one of the most important jobs in government. And I hope this is the start of a candid conversation about Obamacare’s short-comings and the need to protect Medicare for today’s seniors, their children and their grandchildren.”

Speaking to reporters after Friday’s event, White House press secretary Jay Carney said it’s “appropriate” for senators to have many questions for Burwell and that the ACA is “fair game.”

Though Obama’s call for a quick confirmation process may come off as wishful thinking, Carney said the White House is optimistic that Burwell will be able to make it through. “There’s polarization as a matter of fact and regret for a lot of folks, but that polarization existed when the president had a number of nominees to cabinet positions confirmed in the last year,” he said.

Sebelius plans to depart in May, Carney said, but wouldn’t speculate on who Obama would choose to be the agency’s acting head if Burwell hasn’t yet been confirmed. He also declined to comment on who would replace Burwell at OMB.

In a sign of support from across the administration, Vice President Joe Biden joined the Obama, Sebelius and Burwell behind the presidential lectern, and Cabinet secretaries including John Kerry, Anthony Foxx, Tom Vilsack and Shaun Donovan sat in the front row.

As the ceremony came to an end, Obama and Sebelius hugged, and the president thanked his HHS secretary for her hard work. “Ditto,” she said.